Cynthia Erivo offers her interpretation of Elphaba's sex cardigan in Wicked: For Good

For Erivo, the scene is “an opportunity to see” someone painted as the Wicked Witch of the West “as someone who could actually, when on her own, be the opposite, when comfortable enough to be so.” As Erivo explains, per Deadline, it sounds like the initial plan was to shoot the scene with Elphaba “with all of her armor on, with the hat and the coat and the cape,” which is basically how it happens in the stage musical. This, obviously, would have and did raise other questions. “One, why, if she was in a space that was her own, where she felt the most safe and comfortable, would she still be in her armor?” the actor wonders. “And two, when do we have an opportunity to see her green from head to toe? When do we get to be reminded that it’s not just makeup? I know that there have been conversations about her seducing and all of that, but honestly, that’s just not the case.”

As far as comfort goes, a sex cardigan certainly seems more comfortable than her revolutionary get up. “I just wanted something that removed the armor for a second, while, yes, showing you a more sensual, more connected side of her,” Erivo says. “The aim was not to turn her into a sexual object, but instead a softer human being worthy of being loved and having an intimate moment with someone.”